International Conference:
"Business Leaders as agents of economic and social inclusion"

BUSINESS LEADERS AS AGENTS OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL INCLUSION

On November 17th and 18th, 605 BUSINESS LEADERS AND DECISION MAKERSgathered in the Vatican City to commit for a more inclusive economy. They came from 49 COUNTRIESfor a joint international conference organized by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and the International Christian Union of the Business Executives (UNIAPAC).

Uniapac work on CSR

Ethics, Common Good & Sustainability

UNIAPAC aims to contribute to public debates on contemporary social issues triggered by new technological advances and economic growth at global level as a means to focus on the crucial need to show the utmost respect to man in all circumstances and to promote amongst business leaders an economy that serves people and the common good.

Inter-faith Dialogue

In the Dialogue of Religions and Cultures, UNIAPAC has a position strongly inspired by the words of John Paul II: "From the point of view of faith and charity, going towards the other cannot be limited to communicate to him what we understood from the Lord, but it is actually also to receive from him the good that he has been given to discover."Hence UNIAPAC has encouraged many initiatives to open a space of dialogue with the Muslim world, in many countries, mainly Lebanon, Italy, Germany, France, Morocco, Ivory Coast etc...

Christian Management Education

Uniapac project on “Christian Management Education” (CME) consists of a wide international inquiry on the need to form the business leaders on the main principles of the Christian Social Thinking, which do allow them for better management decisions in their specific mission of contributing to a qualified social - economic development, based on the centrality of the human person. This inquiry tries to collect a series of exemplary experiences to be released to business organizations, companies and the academic world. The CME project is aimed at all business leaders, since their entry into the enterprise and along with their gradually increasing responsibilities.

Business leaders

About the Conference

Pope Francis in his apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium and reiterated and reinforced in his Encyclical Letter Laudato Si, demands that all economic policies ought to be shaped by the dignity of each human person and the pursuit of the common good. Celebrating the Extraordinary Year of Mercy established by Pope Francis, this conference will give the opportunity to the business leaders for:

reflecting on better ways to create a working environment based on the principles of the Christian social though, including solidarity, subsidiarity and the pursuit of the Common Good.

finding ways to unlock new sources of productive employment and translate economic growth into broad-based progress in living standards and a more widely shared prosperity.

developing strategies, identifying best practices, forming partnerships and laying the foundation for catalyzing public sector, civil society and business community to better serve the poor and vulnerable

On December 13, 2014 the new Ucid Board was received by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, for an exchange of Christmas greetings and to update him on UCID activities, including the next event with Uniapac in Milan on June 2015 for the world Expo.

In the picture Card. Parolin with UCID spiritual adviser Card. De Giorgi, archibishop emeritus of Palermo, Ucid President Giancarlo Abete, the Vice Presidents, the General Secretary Giovanni Scanagatta and the Uniapac Delegate Giovanni Facchini Martini.

Card. De Giorgi underlined the vocation of UCID, to implement and witness the Church Social Doctrine. Card. Parolin stressed the priorities of the entrepreneurs in Italy, to solve the heavy unemployment, in particular among the young people and in the south of Italy.

UCID offered to the Secretary of State the preview of the book prepared for EXPO 2015 :” THE FOOD IS FOR EVERYONE.

AGRICULTURE AND NEW MODEL OF DEVELOPMENT FOR POOR COUNTRIES GIVEN THE SOCIAL THOUGHT OF THE CHURCH”.

Cardinal Parolin is well informed of the UNIAPAC activities because he had frequent contacts with Uniapac during this previous assignement as Nuntius in Venezuela.

Uniapac International

The Spanish Member Association ASE (Acción Social Empresarial) with the support of KAS and Uniapac has organized a Conference on CME in Madrid on November 26, 2015. It was the occasion to present initiatives and actions done by UNIAPAC Business Leaders to train and support Business Leaders.

Uniapac Africa

Workshop organized by UNIAPAC Africa entitled "Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility and sustainable development in Africa" to be held on 2 April 2016 in Abidjan Ivory Coast. This event complements the “Think Tank´” held in Praia in Cape Verde in April 2015 whose theme was "Africa and Sustainable Development".

During this event will be discussed important issues with the presence of involving entrepreneurs and people with experiences in different economic areas from different regions and countries.

History

The very oldest national federations of Catholic employers were those formed in :• The Netherlands, 1915• Belgium, 1921• France, 1926

Several of the leaders of these national federations have played a role in the Catholic Church's Social Doctrine, such as Léon Harmel who led his family's textile firm in the North of France (Val des Bois). He influenced Leo XIII in the encyclical Rerum Novarum.Since 1926 some mutual contacts and invitations to each other's meetings were undertaken among these national associations.

In 1931 an International Comité d'Initiative was set up to have Catholic employers as a group be represented at the 40th anniversary of the Encyclical Rerum Novarum in Rome.

To continue international contacts the decision was taken on that occasion in Rome to organise further 'Conférences Internationales des Associations Patronales Catholiques' on a regular basis.

This was the first step of creation of UNIAPAC : 1931 - Foundation of UNIAPAC in Rome with the name of "International Conferences of Catholic Employers" by already existing associations of Catholic Entrepreneurs from France, Belgium and The Netherlands and observers/delegates from Italy, Germany and Czechoslovakia. These regular Conferences of this nature were held in :• The Hague 1932 : On cooperation of capital and labour• Paris 1933 : Just salaries and money• Brussels 1935 : Activities of national associations• Paris 1936 : An examination of a general action programme• The Hague 1937 : Social service within the enterprise• Antwerp 1938 : Social insurance in the professions.

Secretarial needs for those beginning international contacts in the 1930's were supplied first by some of the national associations.After the war, more national associations came into existence, like in Switzerland (VCU) and in Germany (BKU) and in Italy, where Giuseppe Mosca in 1949 took a leading role in the formation of UCID and UNIAPAC as an international federation. Later on other associations were formed in Europe and Latin America.

In 1946, A.H.M. Albregst became General Secretary. He prepared the final establishment of UNIAPAC as an organisation "Union Internationale des Associations Patronales Catholiques". After serving as Netherlands Economic Minister for a few years, he came back as General Secretary on a part-time basis.

A second important step was made with the beginning of the successful implementation of UNIAPAC in Latin-America, starting in 1948 in Chile first : 1948 - First Latin American association (USEC - Chile) The following year, the final and still current acronym is adopted : 1949 - The 'International Conferences' change their denomination in 'International Union of Catholic Employer's Associations', in French 'Union Internationale des Associations Patronales Catholiques', with the initials UNIAPAC.

This was the start of a fruitful period of expansion for UNIAPAC and, because the international contacts grew in importance and load, in 1958 the post of General Secretary was made full-time, with a fixed office in Brussels : 1958 - Installation in Brussels of UNIAPAC's permanent international secretariat, under the international Presidency of Giuseppe Mosca (Italy), with the backing of Léon Bekaert (Belgium) and Peter H. Werhahn (Germany). From this time, after a first successful edition in 1957 in Montréal of a World Congress about “the Christian Business Executive” (following the previous “International Conferences…”), UNIAPAC begins to organize every three to five years, regular World Congresses (the list of wich you will find hereafter).

UNIAPAC was then recognized by such international organizations as FAO, Rome; Council of Europe, Strasbourg; International Labour Organization in Geneva, the European Community, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Geneva; UNESCO , Paris, etc and joined the committees of Catholic International Organizations…

The Holy See took as well great interest in UNIAPAC and appointed in 1957 Cardinal Siri as a spiritual guide, and Father Georges Dubois, S.J. as first chaplain (nowadays UNIAPAC has two spiritual advisers : R.F. Rafael Braun (Argentina) for Latin-America, R. F. Edouard Herr, S.J (Luxembourg) for Europe and International).But some years after, with the double purpose to facilitate its implementation and to show unity among Christian Business Executives, UNIAPAC becomes a Christian, and not solely Catholic Organization : 1962 - UNIAPAC becomes an ecumenical association under the new denomination "International Christian Union of Business Executives", conserving its initials.This will allow UNIAPAC to enter into a fruitful dialogue with the Christian Churches…For example, in 1968 - Rotterdam – Netherlands : Uniapac takes part in a Joint Conference UNIAPAC - World Council Churches (WCC) on the theme of 'International Economic Development'.And in 1975 : UNIAPAC launches the "Churches-Transnational Corporations" Dialogue in Europe. The origin of these Dialogues is to be found in the development of a consciousness, on the part of business and the Churches, of the role of business in society.In 1991 UNIAPAC commemorates in Rome the centenary of "Rerum Novarum" - the first social Encyclical (1891) - and presents to His Holiness John-Paul II on March 9, 1991, the book "The Churches facing the enterprise - A Hundred Years of Social Thinking".In 2004 , on 5 th and 6 th March, in Rome, UNIAPAC co-organized with the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace an International Conference about : “The Business Executive : Social Responsibility and Globalisation” - download here the published report.For the coming years, given the great issue of combating Poverty by decent development and of giving back the necessary place to the persons within the Economy, UNIAPAC decided to focus its work and reflection on the Social Responsibility of the Christian Entrepreneur (which includes a Special Attention to the Poor ) and on the pedagogy of Entrepreneurship as a tool for the development and dignity of the human being. This has been the axis of the recent XXIInd World Congress of UNIAPAC: "Empowering Business Leaders to serve Mankind in the Modern World - How to improve a responsible leadership as Christian executives in a complex global world?".It will go on with the coming XXIIIrd World Congress of UNIAPAC which will be held in Mexico in 2009 on "Christian Corporate Social Responsibility".Successive Presidents of UNIAPAC in the new set-up have been :Giuseppe Mosca (Italy), 1956-1959Peter H. Werhahn (Germany), 1960-1964Léon de Rosen (France), 1965-1968Reinier A.H.M. Dobbelmann (The Netherlands), 1969-1972Romuald Burkard (Switzerland), 1973-1976Carlos E. Dietl (Argentina), 1977-1981Antoine Bekaert (Belgium), 1981-1985Philippe de Weck (Switzerland), 1986-1987Ernst van den Biggelaar (The Netherlands), 1988-1990Michel Albert (France), 1990-1993Guy de Wouters (Belgium), 1994-1996Domingo Sugranyes (Spain), 1997-2000H. Onno Ruding (The Netherlands) 2000-2003Etienne Wibaux (France) 2003-2006José Ignacio Mariscal (Mexico) 2006-2009Pierre Lecocq (France)2009-2012Successive full-time General Secretaries :Rik Vermeire (Belgium), 1958-1964Thom Kerstiëns (The Netherlands), 1965-1972Jacques Detours (France), 1973Domingo Sugranyes (Spain), 1974-1981Lubomiro A. Chomyszyn (Argentina), 1982-1983Josef M. Mertes (Germany), 1984-1999Benoît Meessen (Belgium), 1999-2002Benoît Bonamy (France), 2002-2007Laurent Mortreuil (France), 2007-2009

Process of beatification for Enrique Shaw

Pope Francis’ desire to see the late Argentine businessman Enrique Shaw raised to the altars could be close to fruition, according to the postulator of Shaw's cause for beatification.

Juan Navarro Floria told CNA the diocesan phase of the cause has been completed.

“This process began when Pope Francis was the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, and in that capacity he was the one who asked Rome to open the process,” he related.

The diocesan process was closed in 2013 under Archbishop Mario Poli, and everything was passed on to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, which this year declared the juridical validity of that phase of the process.

In an interview conducted in March with the Mexican TV station Televisa, Pope Francis said, “I’ve known rich people and I’m moving forward with the cause for beatification over there [in Argentina] of a rich Argentine businessman. Enrique Shaw was rich, yet saintly. A person can have money. God gives it to him so he can administer it well. And this man administered it well. Not with paternalism, but by fostering the [personal] growth of people who needed help.”

BUSINESS LEADERS AS AGENTS OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL INCLUSION

On November 17th and 18th, 605 BUSINESS LEADERS AND DECISION MAKERSgathered in the Vatican City to commit for a more inclusive economy. They came from 49 COUNTRIESfor a joint international conference organized by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and the International Christian Union of the Business Executives (UNIAPAC).

Uniapac work on CSR

In 2008, UNIAPAC International released the document “The Profit of Values” which promotes the organization’s vision on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) focused on the human person. UNIAPAC Latin American Congress on CSR began to develop “tools” to put their CSR vision into practice, through the development of a CSR Protocol which could be used as a base from which to promote a CSR process based on putting Christian Social Thought principles and values into practice. This project was called “CSR Person-Centered Protocol”.

Ethics, Common Good & Sustainability

The International Union of Christian Business Executives (UNIAPAC) embraces the statement Pope Francis made in his encyclical letter Laudato Si’ on the “care for our common home”. In this document, the Pope addresses two issues: not only the ecological crisis, but also the lack of “the culture needed to confront this crisis” (53).

UNIAPAC shares this analysis, especially acknowledging the view that development has to be seen as an integral process. The Pope rightly speaks not only of “environmental, economic and social ecology” (138), but also adds a fourth dimension: “cultural ecology” (143). He invites us to “build leadershipscapable of striking out on new paths and meeting the needs of the present with concern for all and without preju­dice towards coming generations” (53). Click here to read more

Final Statement Seminar on the Global Common Good:

The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace is grateful to the undersigned experts and academics who gathered at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences on July 11-12, 2014 to discuss the urgent questions of a more inclusive economy and governance for the Common Good.

Pope Paul VI challenged his fellow Church-leaders to enter into “dialogue with other Christian brethren and all people of good will, to discern the options and commitments which are called for in order to bring about the social, political and economic changes seen in many cases to be urgently needed” (Octogesima Adveniens § 4).

More specifically, according to Pope Francis, "we cannot understand the Good News of Jesus Christ – the gospel of dignity and fraternity, of justice and peace – without being aware of real poverty, i.e. by turning our backs on the scandal of exclusion or blindly hoping that it will take care of itself (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, § 54). Quite on the contrary, it will be by putting the human being back into the heart of economics and politics, by welcoming the participation of the poor, that poverty can be overcome and the planet safeguarded".

UNIAPAC, in cooperation with the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and the World Savings Banks Institute has been organizing a cycle of conferences in Frankfurt, Roma, Milan and in Paris on “Finance and Common Good”.

The President of the Council, Cardinal Peter Turkson, asked UNIAPAC to have this document discussed with financial experts, which was done during one day-colloquium in the BUNDESBANK in Frankfurt/Germany in September 2012. It was such a fruitful meeting that the Pontifical Council and UNIAPAC decided to engage in a longer term dialogue about ethics and regulation in the financial markets, which may lead to another - possibly joint - document.

The aim is to encourage the international decision makers to a stronger orientation of the global financial and monetary systems to the Global Common Good.

February 17th, 2014, Roma (Italy):

Joint Consultation between the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace (PCJP) and Uniapac on the urgent priorities with regard to the cooperation between Uniapac and the Church. The main areas of discussion were practical principles for business, including the issue of an “inclusive economy”, the importance of framework conditions such as common good-oriented governance and social/institutional ethics, the concept and significance of Social Impact Investing and the relationship between this approach and the Catholic Social Teaching. Uniapac and the PCJP both emphasise the importance of strengthening cooperation ties with Catholic universities around the world.

February 16th, 2014, meeting in Roma (Italy) with Justice & Peace:

The Executive Committee of Uniapac participated in a meeting with Cardinals Oscar Rodriguez Madariaga and Peter K.A. Turkson to discuss the content of the statement of Uniapac in response to the 2013 apostolic exhortation EVANGELII GAUDIUM. This document will also serve as a basis for discussion for the Post 2015 Sustainable Development Agenda of the United Nations.

“Evangelii Gaudium” is an extremely important document. We take it as a call to look at the missionary dynamism of the church and to look at the needs – both material and spiritual – of the poor. We take it as a call to re-act to it with spiritual renewal and personal engagement of our members and with the firm commitment to contribute to the transformation of the socio-economic and political world towards the common good. We understand that that evangelization is about both, announcing the gospel and spreading the word of God and at the same time addressing the social realities of the world with special regard to the poor.

July 11 & 12, 2014: Scientific Committee organised by J&P in Roma (Italy) on "The Global Common Good: Towards a more Inclusive Economy":

Regarding Uniapac representation, José Ignacio Mariscal, José Maria Simone, Professor Habbish, Professor Zamagni and Brian Griffith were present. There were many different participants from all over the world and from different organizations, with a total of 68 persons. All the invited were requested to react and send their comments on the Exhortation "Evangelii Gaudium".

Inter-faith Dialogue

Based on the common precepts of Religions, and through ongoing dialogue, the primary focus is to identify common values for the management of Business and Economics. The 2013 Beirut Conference was a remarkable materialization of this.

Initiated by UNIAPAC with the cooperation of MA'AM (Islamic-Christian Gathering of Lebanese Entrepreneurs) and KAS (Konrad Adenauer Foundation), it gathered over 400 Entrepreneurs and 34 Speakers from many Arab and Western countries around an "Economy serving Mankind".

The most debated themes were as follows: • The Person as a goal of any economic action. • Corporate Social Responsibility. • Finance must serve the persons and not enslave them.• Finance should be correlated to an added value.• The responsibility of the Media.

UNIAPAC maintains its commitment and encourages its members to continue this dialogue.

Christian Management Education

Uniapac has organized up to now two conferences on CME project: the first one in Milan from 12 to 14 June 2015 under the title of : “Hunger and Thirst for values” and the second in Madrid on 26 November 2015 under the title of “Christian Management Education in the 21st century”.

Business leaders

The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace (PCJP) and the International Christian Union of the Business Executives (UNIAPAC) are organizing in the Vatican City on November 17th and 18th 2016 a joint International Conference on: “Business Leaders as agents of economic and social inclusion”.

This conference is a follow-up to a high-level meeting on “the Global Common Good: towards a more inclusive economy” which took place in July 2014 with the attendance of Pope Francis.

History

The very oldest national federations of Catholic employers were those formed in :• The Netherlands, 1915• Belgium, 1921• France, 1926

Several of the leaders of these national federations have played a role in the Catholic Church's Social Doctrine, such as Léon Harmel who led his family's textile firm in the North of France (Val des Bois). He influenced Leo XIII in the encyclical Rerum Novarum.

The Spanish Member Association ASE (Acción Social Empresarial) with the support of KAS and Uniapac has organized a Conference on CME in Madrid on November 26, 2015. It was the occasion to present initiatives and actions done by UNIAPAC Business Leaders to train and support Business Leaders.

WORKSHOP organized by UNIAPAC Africa entitled "Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility and sustainable development in Africa" to be held on 2 April 2016 in Abidjan Ivory Coast. This event complements the “Think Tank´” held in Praia in Cape Verde in April 2015 whose theme was "Africa and Sustainable Development".

During this event will be discussed important issues with the presence of involving entrepreneurs and people with experiences in different economic areas from different regions and countries.